The busiest day at the airport leading up to Memorial Day weekend is actually Thursday, according to a new consumer research report. How do D.C.-area airport delays stack up?

WASHINGTON — Memorial Day weekend is busy for U.S. airports, but one report says the busiest day for most airports is actually the Thursday leading up to the holiday weekend — and that means delays.

Consumer research group ValuePenguin analyzed thousands of data points from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to identify the most lengthy delay-prone airports.

Based on historical data, the D.C. region’s three airports all rank in the top 10 for average length of delay.

Dulles ranks fourth-worst for departure delays before the Memorial Day weekend, with an average flight delay of 54 minutes. Reagan National Airport ranks No. 8, with an average flight delay of 51.6 minutes. BWI Marshall Airport is No. 9, at 51.5 minutes.

The report is based on data from domestic flights in the month of May from 2013 to 2017. The report focused on the top 50 airports by flight numbers.

The D.C. region’s three airports do much better on a score card of airports that experience a surge in delayed flights near the Memorial Day weekend. All three are below the 50-airport average.

JFK and LaGuardia experience the longest delay times before Memorial Day weekend. Seattle and Portland experience the least severe delays.

You can see ValuePenguin’s full airport rankings for length of delays and increased delays leading up to Memorial Day weekend on its website.

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